Eurosport Exploring New Configurations

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Unhappily, we missed seeing Tom Leite at this year’s Electric Aircraft Symposium. Happily, he was at Eurosport Aircraft, his company in Portugal, working on innovative new approaches to making electric and hybrid motor-gliding a reality. He also has a speedster that would give those who desire rapid transit a high-style alternative. As shown in the video from Aero Friedrichshafen, the Crossover will probably trend toward a simpler wing configuration, with a fixed span of 18 meters (59 feet) and flaperons that will replace the multiple flaps on the current short-span version being flown in test flights. It’s uncertain whether the current twin-motors that pop out of the sides of the extremely slender fuselage will be retained, but a new version of the Crossover will feature three power options. As shown at Aero 2014, the airplane has the two options outlined on opposite sides of the fuselage – the port side displaying the Rotax-powered version, with a carbon-fiber shaft transmitting power …